Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Sasquatch! 2013 Lineup Revealed

Several good points made in the comments section, and I agree with almost everything said, good and bad.

First, the bad. The top nine billed acts are as unspectacular as any Sasquatch I've been to, and this will be my nineth. It's not unspectacular because the bands suck, they don't. It's unspectacular because most of the bands haven't been around very long, and have been actively touring. The only real "gets" are the Postal Service and Sigur Ros, but the Postal Service are going to be absolutely everywhere this year (including NW shows later this fall I'm sure), and Sigur Ros hit the NW last August.

I like the top nine bands, at least the ones I can listen to for three minutes without falling asleep, and several are great live. However, I wouldn't pay $50 to see any of them (again), and that's my only beef with the lineup. Would you believe the top nine acts collectively have 21 proper albums? "Now That Is What I Call Music" is up to Volume 45, and the Residents have put out 21 albums since this festival was born.

Moving on to the best part of the lineup, the next two highest billed acts, Cake and Primus. Each band has also toured extensively in the last couple years, but are both worth the admission price. It's not often a festival features two musicians who are the best in the world at their chosen craft. Les Claypool is hands down the best bass player alive, and John McCrea playing the vibraslap has no equal. Primus is already the most exciting act on the lineup without their 3D doodad (there are three Ds in the word doodad) they've been hauling across the country since early 2012. One cautionary note, after seeing the Flaming Lips set in 2011, I'm not completely sold "Cake" being on the lineup is actually referring to the band.

After the top 11, most festivals start falling flat on their pony tails, while Adam Zacks continually delivers with up-and-comers, and/or bands who are outstanding live. This is what makes a music festival. More on this in the comings weeks when I start the Quadros series. This year, I plan to at least double the amount of Quadros I wrote last year.

There is a hidden genius in the construction of this lineup, and it goes like this. In order to make this easy to understand, I'll classify music listeners in the following five levels:

1. I don't listen to music because it sucks.
2. I like pop and/or country because silence sucks.
3. I listen to the alternative radio because hearing the same songs every 24 minutes sucks.
4. I'm a music hipster and the radio sucks.
5. I'm a music nerd and music hipsters suck.

Ideally, a festival lineup will have something for each level of music listeners. Now, let me throw out a couple names on the Sasquatch lineup. Mumford & Sons, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The xx, Vampire Weekend, and Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros. These acts appeal specifically to those level three music fans who listen to a lot of radio. These are gateway bands, designed to give the curious a reason to dive deeper into music nerdery if they choose to do the research, and this year's undercard is stacked and waiting. I envy those who are fans of these gateway bands who are attending Sasquatch for the first time. You'll be foaming at the mouth shortly, and your friends will no longer recognize you. This is why I wouldn't be surprised if the festival sells out quickly this year. Never underestimate the power of the radio.

It's not my favorite lineup, and Primus (or any form of Les Claypool) is my only can't miss when I usually have a handful of can't misses each year. I have a reason to be underwhelmed, but it's still going to be one of the greatest weekends of the year, and just being at the Gorge watching live music will make up for any lineup dissapointments. I really like a bunch of bands on the lineup, but I wouldn't fly across the country for this lineup. If the gateway bands mentioned earlier end up being the flash-in-the-pan 2009 Kings Of Leon, we'll be laughing about how awful this lineup is two years from now.

It seems that they really when cheap on the lineup especially if you think in terms of guarantees for artists. The headliners are especially weak. I mean, I like the Thiftstore song as much as anybody but a headliner on the strength of one popularish song.

I'm a superticket holdear and not happy. I'm not going to buy in advance again like I have in years past.

Having so-so headliners is one thing, but not stockpiling bands to make up for it is disappointing, like Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Etc. I'm praying that more bands will be added like last year.

I honestly can't understand why people are complaining about this lineup ...

Yes, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are billed too high on the lineup. If you don't want to see them, that just opens up a night for you to hang around the Bigfoot stage and get a good spot for the late-night set(s)!

Aside from that misstep, this lineup has incredibly broad appeal. Between Sigur Ros, Mumford and Sons, The Postal Service, Vampire Weekend, and The xx, there are five bands that could easily headline this festival based upon where they were billed at Primavera and/or Coachella. That is a pretty stacked core of headliners (or potentially co-headliners) for Sasquatch.

I will admit that the lack of a big EDM headliner is disappointing ... I was really hoping that Deadmau5, Bassnectar, or Avicci would headline the main stage one of the three nights. But that is once again made up for by a solid undercard! Tame Impala, Grimes, Tallest Man on Earth, Edward Sharpe, Primus, Andrew Bird, Cake, Holy Ghost! ... The list could seriously go on and on.

There is more than enough awesome music on this lineup to fill four awesome days at the Gorge. I'll be there, and I'm damn excited about it.

Worst line-up yet. Maybe they'll have a new stage called the Kleenex Tissue stage for sigur ros and all the pussy rock bands. Oh wait, to call any of those bands rock would be a disservice to real rock bands.

People need to quit crying about macklemore being "billed too high". He would never be billed this high at most (if any) major music festivals but because it is at the gorge and he is from Seattle, he automatically becomes one of the biggest acts at Sasquatch. Last time he was there they put him on the bigfoot stage and so many people came he could've easily hosted an evening show on the main stage. And that was before thrift shop. He is a great live performer and his Northwest fans will make sure to attend in full force. That set has potential to be the most exciting one at sasquatch.

Weak headliners for sure but outstanding undercard. And the hip-hop content is out of this word! Honestly, Sasquatch has always been about the undercard and the festival atmosphere. If you want mega-bloated-headliners go to Coachella. The rest of us are happy to spend four days with 20+ amazing bands/artists at a great venue with actual sight lines.

you know what, I'll actually admit that I was wrong...I don't even care about huge Coachella-like headliners because, in all honesty, the mid-cards are what the festival is about...I look forward to yet another fantastic experience and bet there is still more to come

Honestly, this is year's lineup is the one that I am least excited to see out of the past few years I have been attending. I agree that the headliners could be better, not that these performances are not going to be great, just that I consider them more of a midcard set. The postal service and sigur ros will be a rare treat. While macklemore is someone who I consider a midcard act, he is extremely entertaining on stage and very passionate about his music. It will be a fantastic performance. My biggest concern this year as that if anything, the headliners will be too slow for my taste! When I think to past festivals, I have fond memories of jiving to the flaming lips, the decemberists, beck etc, who really know how to engage the audience. I can hardly see the The XX creating a vibrant crowd experience just by the slow nature of their music even though its beautiful.

With all of this being so, a festival really is what you make of it. I might end up surprising myself with how much I like some of these acts. Last year I had never even heard of dry the river or active child but after the festival, they became two of my favorite bands! There is great potential. But yes I have to agree that the lineup, particularly the headliners are a bit lackluster this year.

Blah blah blah. There will always be whiners when a lineup for a festival gets announced. The fact is for every 1 whiner there are 9 people who love. It's always the whiners that come out in force and cry cry cry.

"Worst line-up yet. Maybe they'll have a new stage called the Kleenex Tissue stage for sigur ros and all the pussy rock bands. Oh wait, to call any of those bands rock would be a disservice to real rock bands."

Asking an honest question here, not trying to be a jerk. Admittedly, my musical tastes lean towards the punk/rock side of things. (Think The Thermals, The Men, JEFF the brotherhood, Black Lips, etc…)So what am I missing about bands like Sigur Ros, Empire of the Sun, The xx, Andrew Bird, Ariel Pink? I’ve been listening to these bands for the last couple of days on Spotify and I don’t get it. I can see these bands all being listed on a Starbucks compilation CD or something, but at an outdoor music festival? Sigur Ros had me falling asleep at my desk.What I’m asking is….aside from their music “being beautiful” what is the excitement about? This is not jump up and down and go crazy music, but it’s clearly the overarching theme of this year’s Sasquatch.

To put it simply, this lineup will be a ridiculously exciting line-up for music nerds and people with an omnivorous music taste that REALLY follow the music scene all year round. Seriously, the electronic and hip hop acts had me spilling my beer. The Presets, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Toro Y Moi, Matthew Dear, Baths, Azari & III, Alt-J, John Talabot, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Killer Mike, etc etc etc. And there's bands I know from seeing that just give you a unique, mind-blowing high from how good the feel of their live show is, like the dirty projectors, fang island, father john misty, youth lagoon, grimes, steve aoki, death grips, etc.

So yes, I'm excited as fuck about this year but at the same time I just can't help thinking WHERE did all the money from the budget go? Where's the ONE band everyone's supposed to scream when they see on the poster? (could've been the knife, massive attack, nicolas jaar; whatever, someone who rarely tours in the NW and is famous). Picking a band as polarizing as Mumford and Sons to be 'the' big headliner was a flat out, fucking stupid choice, which makes me wonder WHY, when they had Beck last year, would they make a decision that poor, and for this reason I think the festival's gonna take weeks to sell out (unless they throw in some better headliners). I'm a little bit biased here because I hate M&S. The XX is cool live but again, a poor choice for a headliner. It's music you want to bone your girlfriend to, but they're just not that exciting for the main stage. It's a well known fact that a lot of people flat out hate ben gibbard's whispery, castrated voice and the arctic monkeys aren't really relevant anymore (are they really still together? I don't care). Macklemore is liked primarily by pop-radio listeners who like bad poetry rapped by douche-bags so it's just odd to see it contrasted with the undercard when most of his listener's would simply dislike a lot of this lineup (save the headliners). No complaints about the rest of the headliners, they're all very Sasquatch.

So, will the festival be good? Yes. Should Adam Zacks SERIOUSLY get a couple more big name artists who are universally popular, hopefully something that falls along the electronic continuum? Please, fucking please do it. With the fact the tickets are nearly $350 this year, I'll consider this the first 'decline' of Sasquatch if they look like they're just pocketing the extra cash rather than putting it into making a great festival.

looks like everyone on this thread forgot how fucking unreal mumford is going to be live. I know a few of their songs get overplayed on the radio but check out the dvd big easy express and your appreciation for them will skyrocket. not to mention edward sharpe. This whole lineup keeps me from sleeping at night im so stoked about it. if you dont like the lineup please for the sake of everyone that does, dont show up. I fucking hate downer crowds more than anything else in the world. Stop being so critical and get stoked on something you like, then ignore the stuff you don't. You'll enjoy your life a lot more, and mine wont be plagued with assholes that show up to concerts and get pissed off at you if they catch you enjoying yourself. Here's to everyone that plans on going to sasquatch and making it the best weekend of their life!

I feel like sometimes since we are Seattle we get spoon fed acts like Macklemore and The Postal Service and we are supposed to be happy...

I agree with Anon Feb 5:16 - Props to Macklemore on the success, but he followed the last gimmicky hip hop hit we had from Seattle (Big Butts) with a gimmicky hit about a Thrift Store. Dude is the Gangnam Style of hip hop. If you are ages 8-16 and don't know any better you listen to him, but fans of hip hop would take Kendrick or A$AP any day (neither of which are on the bill)

No EDM? ...not even Deadmau5?....I mean im not a huge fan of EDM but jeez, you want me to dance and party with Sigur Ros?

Sold out seems to be a marketing ploy more than an announcement these days.

I will be skipping Sasquatch for the first time in years to go on vacation. The smaller acts I will most likely listen to while relaxing, and if any captivate me, I will pay $15 to see them when they come back to the Showbox, that way I can enjoy them without a bunch of drunk/stoned kids dressed up like Native Americans, who ironically end up trashing such a beautiful venue.

Okay, go ahead with the "u mad bro?" or the "stop whinings" I definitely deserve them.. Just had to say my peace.

I'm from Boise and we tend to get skipped a lot by bigger bands so I'm extremely excited! This will be my 5th year in a row. I always dissect the lineup and write down all the bands I haven't heard of or heard much of and go through and give them my own rating off of a few songs by each band. Then based on that I'll go through and start listening to the higher rated bands more in depth and next thing you know, several weeks later I've got a huge list of bands I'm excited about. Part of the "experience" is discovering new bands and falling in love with them, getting to know their music in the months leading up to Sasquatch and then having a blast at their set. Give some bands you haven't listened to a shot and you'll be happy you did :)